Greater Republic of Central America
Politics to be added Suffrage is universal and compulsory at age twenty-one. All voting is done by direct, equal, and secret ballot. Elections are internationally supervised and are generally considered to be free and fair. The Federal Congress The legislative branch of Central America is the bicameral Federal Congress (Congreso Federal), or Congress (Congreso), comprising the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) and the Chamber of Senators (Cámara de Senadores). Both houses convene in the National Palace (Palacio Nacional), located in the capital, Amapala. Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies, which has 120 members, is the lower house of the Federal Congress. Its members are elected by popular vote for legislative terms of four years; 90 members are elected from multi-member constituencies apportioned among the states, and 30 are elected by the nation at large. Central America uses a closed-list d'Hondt proportional representation system to elect deputies. Elections are staggered so that one-half of its members are up for election at one time and the remaining half two years later. To be eligible for membership in the Chamber of Deputies, a candidate must: *Be a natural-born citizen of Central America. *Be 25 years of age or older. *Be in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights. *Have been resident in the country for at least five years prior to the date of the election. *Not be an official of any church or religious organization. *Not be an officer of the armed forces or law enforcement, unless they relinquish their position at least twelve months prior to the election. *Not be in active military service during the six months prior to the election. *Not be a presidential appointee, Minister, Vice-Minister, or other member of the Cabinet, a magistrate or judge, or a mayor, unless they resign from their position at least six months prior to the election. Chamber of Senators The Chamber of Senators, the upper house, is comprised of the following members: Six members for every state (appointed by the legislatures of the states in question); three members for the Federal District (appointed by its legislature); former Presidents of the Republic; and the candidate that received the second largest number of votes in the most recent presidential election. At present, there are 36 senators (33 appointed, 2 ex-Presidents, and the runner-up in the previous presidential election). Senators serve for terms of six years; one-third of the members of the Chamber of Senators are renewed every two years. Exceptions to this rule are former Presidents, who serve for life (however, Presidents that were removed from office for malfeasance, malversion, or other crimes are ineligible for membership; in addition, life senators that become subject to any conditions that would disqualify them from membership forfeit their seats). To be eligible for membership in the Chamber of Senators, a candidate must: *Be a natural-born citizen of Central America. *Be 40 years of age or older. *Be in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights. *Have been resident in the country for at least five years prior to the date of the election. *Not be an official of any church or religious organization. *Not be an officer of the armed forces or law enforcement, unless they relinquish their position at least twelve months prior to the election. *Not be in active military service during the six months prior to the election. *Not be a presidential appointee, Minister, Vice-Minister, or other member of the Cabinet, a magistrate or judge, or a mayor, unless they resign from their position at least six months prior to the election. Powers and Functions The Federal Congress has power: *To legislate in matters of national competence. *To propose amendments to and revisions of the Constitution, on the terms established in the Constitution. *To declare war and to make peace. *To lay and collect taxes. *To discuss and approve the national budget and any bill relating to the taxation system and to public credit. *To authorize appropriations in addition to the budget. *To approve the general guidelines for the national economic and social development plan submtitted by the President. *To authorize the President to enter into contracts in the national interest, in the cases established by law. *To authorize the departure of the President from the national territory, when such absence is to last longer than five consecutive days. *To approve by law any international treaties or agreements entered into by the President. *To declare the coat of arms, the national flag, and the national anthem, by a vote of two-thirds of the total membership of the Federal Congress. *To initiate impeachment proceedings against government officials. *To fix the standard of weights and measures. *To regulate the value of the currency. *To grant general amnesties for political crimes. *To enact its own internal regulations and apply such sanctions as may be provided for thereunder. *To pass on the qualifications of its members and take notice of their resignation. *To organize its own internal security service. *To pass and implement its budget of expenditures, taking into account the country's financial limitations. *To implement resolutions concerning its own administrative organization and functioning. *To perform such other functions as authorized by the Constitution and by the laws. The President The executive branch is headed by the President (Presidente), who serves as chief of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The President is popularly elected by an absolute majority to a term of four years; in the event that no candidate obtains an absolute majority, a run-off election between the two candidates that obtained the largest number of votes. There are no term limits, but consecutive re-election is not permitted. The Constitution of Central America does not provide for a Vice-President. In the event of the President's death, the Minister of the Government (the equivalent of the Attorney-General in the United States) succeeds him. The President's official residence is the Casa Presidencial (English: "Presidential House"). Requirements to hold office To be eligible to run for President, a candidate is required to: *Be a natural-born citizen of Central America. *Be 30 years of age or older. *Be in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights. *Have been resident in the country for at least five years prior to the date of the election. *Not be an official of any church or religious organization. *Not be an officer of the armed forces or law enforcement, unless they relinquish their position at least twelve months prior to the election. *Not be in active military service during the six months prior to the election. *Not be a presidential appointee, Minister, Vice-Minister, or other member of the Cabinet, a magistrate or judge, or a mayor, unless they resign from their position at least six months prior to the election. Powers, Duties, and Functions *To direct the general policy of the State and represent it. *To maintain the independence, honor, integrity, and inviolability of Central America. *To maintain the peace and security of Central America and repel any attack or foreign aggression. *To execute and enforce the Constitution, treaties and conventions, laws, and other legal dispositions. *To issue decrees, regulations, and resolutions pursuant to law. *To sanction, veto, publish, and promulgate laws passed by the Federal Congress. *To participate in the introduction of legislaton to the Federal Congress by the cabinet secretaries. *To address the Federal Congress at any time, and to adjourn each ordinary legislative session. *To call the Federal Congress into special session, or propose an extension of the ordinary session. *To freely appoint and remove the secretaries of his cabinet, and other posts whose appointments are not assigned to other officials. *To direct foreign policy. *To conclude treaties and conventions, to be ratified by the Federal Congress. *To appoint the heads of diplomatic and consular missions. *To receive heads of state and diplomatic representatives. *To conduct economic and financial policy. *To dictate extraordinary measures on economic and financial matters when required by the national interest (which must be reported to the Federal Congress). *To formulate the National Development Plan, discussed in the cabinet and approved of by the Federal Congress, and to then direct and implement that plan. *To negotiate international loans, seeking the approval of the Federal Congress as required. *To confer military and civilian decorations. *To pardon and commute criminal sentences. *To declare war and peace in the event of congressional recess (although the Federal Congress must be called into session immediately on such occasion). *To allow or deny, with the authorization of the Federal Congress, troops of another country passage through Central America. *To allow, with the authorization of the Federal Congress, the output of Central American troops to serve in foreign territory. *To perform such other functions as authorized by the Constitution and by the law. The Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers is a cabinet of advisors to the President, comprising Ministers appointed by him. At present, the following individuals are members of the Council of Ministers: The Federal Supreme Court The highest court in Central America is the nine-member Federal Supreme Court, which functions as a court of last resort, hears cases against senior government officials, supervises and regulates elections, arbitrates labor-management disputes, and reviews the constitutionality of federal laws. The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative branches. All tribunal and court hearings are open to the public. The members of the Federal Supreme Court are chosen by the Federal Congress and serve for terms of six years; there are no term limits, and both consecutive and non-consecutive terms are allowed. It is presided over by the President of the Federal Supreme Court, who is chosen by a simple majority of the Court from among its members. To be eligible for membership in the Federal Supreme Court, a person must: *Be a natural-born citizen of Central America. *Be 35 years of age or older, but not more than 60 years of age. *Be in full enjoyment of his political and civic rights. *Be of proven honesty and morality. *Have been resident in the country for at least five years prior to the date of the election. *Have practiced law in Central America for a minimum of ten years *Not be an official of any church or religious organization. *Not be an officer of the armed forces or law enforcement, unless they relinquish their position at least twelve months prior to the election. *Not be in active military service during the six months prior to the election. *Not be a presidential appointee, Minister, Vice-Minister, or other member of the Cabinet, a magistrate or judge, or a mayor, unless they resign from their position at least six months prior to the election. Central America, Greater Republic of